Chapter 33: We Are Going Back

Days passed. Even so we returned to our normal life, a lot has changed, for better and especially for the worst.
Every day, Judeth, Camille, and I visited the Monolith Memorial, where the names of everyone who died in Ashalondaria were engraved, including Jarrod.

Camille had moved in with us at the apartment. We didn’t let her stay in Jarrod’s room. There was a fourth room, but she chose to stay with Judeth instead, mostly because I insisted. I wanted her to keep Judeth company.

I was back at the convenience store. I told Judeth to stay home and let me handle it. She insisted on coming, but I could see she wasn’t well. Even though she hadn’t lived through what I had, it had still left a mark on her. Everyone in Omnikuro had witnessed those events, players dying, some in the most gruesome ways imaginable, and they could do nothing but watch.

The day felt like any other, only emptier. As usual, no customers came in. I sat at the counter, staring around aimlessly. Every corner of this place reminded me of them, of the times Jarrod, Judeth, and I worked together here. Especially Jarrod.

I wanted revenge on Niobeorth and Talas. But now… all I could do was sit here, haunted, and try to convince myself to move on.

I carried the boxes into the storage room, stacking them one by one. Just as I wiped the sweat from my brow, the front door creaked open.

Seriously? A customer? That was rare enough. But no, the sound wasn’t just one person. Several voices, loud and rowdy, filled the shop. Immediately I thought trouble. I could tell right away.

When I stepped out, I froze.

I never thought I’d see them again.

"…Terrence?"

"Well, well, well." Terrence spread his arms with a grin. "Look what we have here. The gang’s back together."

Before I could react, Dennis’s voice boomed with his unmistakable Irish twang.
"Ohhh yeah! The Banangia Gang are back together!"

In an instant, they all rushed me, wrapping me in a crushing hug and lifting me off the ground like a sack of flour.

"G-Guys—! For god’s sake, put me down! I just got out of the hospital!"

Finally, they let go, and I staggered, trying to catch my breath.

"What are you guys even doing here?" I asked.

A voice answered from the entrance, smooth and steady.

"Oh isn’t that obvious mother[BEEP], It’s because we’re going back to Ashalondaria. To stop that [BEEP]."

“What.”
I turned. My heart skipped a beat. Standing there was Aster Joyce, her brother Thor at her side.

"…Aster?"

She smiled gently. "Hey there, Jack."

I stared, confused. "What do you mean ‘going back’? Takayuki destroyed the servers. Onlife’s inaccessible."

Benson smirked and crossed his arms. "Not destroyed. Not exactly. Not until our genius figured it out."

Michael stepped forward, his expression serious.

"Listen, Jack. Takayuki didn’t technically destroy the servers. He shut them down. Onlife needs to be running to exist, and after his arrest, all the company assets were seized by the police. I managed to dig into the company’s footage."

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle.

"Before shutting it down, Takayuki smashed something with a hammer. A cube. That cube was directly connected to Onlife’s servers—the link that tied us to Ashalondaria. That’s why everyone was logged out, and why the game became inaccessible."

I swallowed, trying to process it.

Michael’s voice dropped lower. "…But what I don’t understand is why that cube was so special. Why it could send us to a different world in the first place."

"Because that’s the Everett Stone," I said quietly.

"The what now?" Terrence frowned.

"It’s the stone that connects across different worlds. Merewyn explained it to me—it’s the reason we were able to enter Ashalondaria at all. A keystone between realities."

"Wooooow." Terrence’s group let out a collective sound of admiration, like kids in awe of a magic trick.

I drew in a breath. "So why are you all so determined to go back? I get it from you guys, but you, Aster?"

Her smile faded, replaced with a calm resolve.

"Merewyn told us this—Niobeorth isn’t just after Ashalondaria. He’s aiming for Omnikuro too. If he crosses over here… with the technology in this world, the destruction would be unimaginable. That’s why we have to stop him."

Her words pressed down heavy on the room. On my chest.

This wasn’t just about Ashalondaria anymore.

It was about both worlds.
"Alright, so it’s just us? Eleven people? Did you at least contact Diana?"

Aster’s face darkened. "About that… Michael checked the list of survivors. She wasn’t among them."

My head went heavy. "So she died?"

"That’s the thing," Aster continued. "She’s not listed among the deceased either."

"If she’s not here, and not dead… then what happened to her?"

Thor folded his arms. "The safest assumption is that she’s still in Ashalondaria."

"But how?" That’s when it hit me. I started to remember what truly happened. "Back there… Diana was fighting Talas. He struck her from behind, at the neck. That explosion—I think it was the Everett Stone. It must have been destroyed. That’s why she’s stuck."

"How can you be so sure?" Benson asked.

I reached back, fingers brushing the nape of my neck. There was something there.

Without hesitation, I grabbed a baseball bat and shoved it into Terrence’s hands. "Hit me. Right here."

Aster’s eyes widened. "Are you insane?!"
Spencer blurted, "Dude, that’s crazy."
Barnaby shook his head. "I knew you were nuts, but this? This is another level."

Terrence hesitated, gripping the bat. "…You serious?"

"Don’t be a coward. Just swing."

With a reluctant grimace, Terrence swung hard. The moment the bat cracked against my neck, a small explosion burst out, blasting everyone back with a shockwave and many products were obliterated.

I coughed, straightening. "Okay… maybe I should’ve explained instead of demonstrating."

"[BEEP] you THINK?! What the hell was that?!" Terrence barked.

Benson’s eyes narrowed. "You… you’ve got the Everett Stone inside your neck?"

I nodded.

Johnny, still hiding behind that creepy clown mask, tilted his head. "Then maybe we all have it."

They began checking themselves, but I raised a hand quickly. "Wait—don’t start smacking each other with bats. Look."

I pulled up my HUD. Glitching ability. Magime—Nova Bloom. All still active.

Thor stared, amazed. "How… how is that possible?"

Dennis groaned. "Seriously, man? You still get all that while we’re stuck here? That’s so unfair."

Anton rubbed his chin. "Or maybe… maybe we never even left. What if we’re still inside Onlife?"

Then, without warning, he kneeled in front of Little Lou. "Ok boy, Hit me."

Little Lou didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the bat and smacked Anton across the face.

Anton staggered, clutching his cheek. "Nope. We’re definitely not in Onlife."

“Well of course not, you dumb [BEEP] head and for your information, the stone is in the neck not the [BEEP] face.”

Benson stepped forward. "But seriously—how?"

I exhaled. "That’s the part I can’t explain. I don’t know. But it means we still have some kind of connection to Ashalondaria."

Michael’s eyes lit up. "Exactly. And if that’s true, then all we need is one thing—get the servers running again."

The room fell silent.

I muttered the only answer left. "Which means… we have to break Takayuki out of jail."

Dennis chimed in.
“Well then, let’s do somethin’ illegal — let’s begin the prison break, ’cos we’re goin’ to break the man who nearly killed us.”

Aster placed a hand on my shoulder. "There’s someone who wants to talk to you." She guided me outside the convenience store. While everyone else were already planning to do something illegal.

Two girls stood waiting, unfamiliar faces that tugged faintly at my memory.

I frowned. "…Who are you?"

One of them stepped forward. "My name is Stephanie, and this is Mayu. We’re friends of Ysanthe."

That clicked. "Oh. Right, I forgot—you two are friends of Ysanthe’s, you were in those cages we freed back at the Flying Fortress."

Both of them nodded.

"So why are you here? And where’s Ysanthe?"

They exchanged a nervous glance. Stephanie finally said, "We believe… that Ysanthe is still in Ashalondaria."

"What?" My chest tightened. "Her too? She never returned?” Just like Diana.

Mayu shook her head. "We don’t know. Maybe her Everett Stone was destroyed… or maybe Niobeorth is holding her."

Then, without warning, both girls bowed deeply.

"Please," Stephanie begged. "Forgive her. She didn’t do it because she wanted to—she was forced. If you go back to Ashalondaria… save her. Please, we beg you."

I stepped closer, resting a hand on each of their shoulders.

"I don’t care what she’s done. The damage is already done. I won’t blame her for Jarrod’s death. There’s only one person responsible—and that’s Niobeorth."

I looked between them, steady. "So don’t worry. I’ll save Ysanthe… just like I have to save everyone else."